Arctic Race of Norway - stage 1: Clément Champoussin 3rd
Clément Champoussin took 3rd place in the 1st stage of the Arctic Race of Norway, which ended in a bunch sprint.
“It was a bumpy sprint today and that really suited me. It was above all a question of positioning. I managed to come 3rd and grab a few bonus seconds, which is always good to take. Tomorrow’s finish will be similar, with a new finale at the top of a climb, which could also suit me. It’s good to grab seconds like that. It’s better to have them on your side. The Arctic Race of Norway is an undecided race right to the end: even if the overall classification should come down to the 3rd stage, we’ll have to be vigilant in the face of the weather conditions every day.”
“It was a long, cold first stage! It felt like it was below ten degrees. I asked at the briefing this morning if I could ride the sprint on my own. I needed to get some feeling back after my crash in Poland. The aim was also for Clément to do the sprint to try and get some bonuses, as this bumpy final was favourable for him. We both found ourselves in the right wave and that worked out well for us.”